And she had to get out of the palace—fast. And she definitely couldn’t move into a royal residence when she was deliberately deceiving them.
She also couldn’t take money from her father. Ill-gotten gains. Blood money, even. “I really should get back home. Ari needs her injection.”
Her father startled her by laughing out a puff of smoke. “You go give your kitten a shot and don’t worry yourself about things that don’t concern you and aren’t good for your health. The less you know, the better. Who knows? Maybe there’s a royal wedding in your future.”
“Hardly.” She spat the words. “But that’s not your concern either, is it?” She wanted to regret her petulant words, but she was so angry right now she could hardly see straight. She’d been defending her own father for weeks, and all along he’d been guilty.
She could never tell Rigo the truth. Blood was supposed to be thicker than water, and betraying her father would be an act worse than treason.
She just wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to look him in the eye again. She rose to her feet. “Thanks for dinner.”
“The money will be in your account by next month.”
She wanted to throw the money back in his face, but something told her that could be dangerous right now. She could do that later once she’d figured out her exit strategy from this big royal mess. “Good night, Dad.” She hissed the words through closed lips.
“Give my love to Prince Rigo.”
“It’s not a joking matter. I can’t believe you paid me to kiss a prince.”
“I can’t believe you actually did it.” Her father huffed out a laugh. “You have more moxie than I gave you credit for. Or more greed.” His guffaw made her stomach churn.
A mistake. She was thinking about the animals, but they didn’t deserve to be supported by funds from a criminal enterprise, no matter how ancient or “noble.” She turned and fled down the hallway toward the side door.
No sign of his staff tonight. The dinner had been left in covered dishes on the dining room table. No doubt to ensure privacy.
She slammed out of the house and into her car, then peeled out of there—scattering gravel—as fast as she could.
The next morning Bella paced back and forth in her apartment—the apartment she was about to be kicked out of—trying to figure out a course of action.
She had to leave her job at the palace because she couldn’t continue to work for Rigo while knowing her father was guilty of fraud or worse. For the same reason she couldn’t move into Rigo’s house. And she couldn’t accept any offers of help or money from her father…
So she needed a new job, and a new place to live, preferably today.
A hysterical laugh peeled out of her. The ideal situation would be a live-in position, maybe as a housekeeper in one of the grand old houses around Altaleone—except that those didn’t usually allow you to bring even one pet, let alone an entire animal rescue.
She was supposed to be at work half an hour ago, but she couldn’t figure out how to face Rigo.
A knock on the door made her jump. Probably the landlord coming to remind her to get lost. “Who is it?”
“Rigo.”
Her blood chilled. She hadn’t even plucked up the courage to call in sick, and she was still in her PJ’s. Still, she could hardly pretend not to be here now that she’d called out. She faked a cough. “Coming.”
She probably looked like death anyway, so her fake illness would be convincing. She pulled open the door. “Sorry I didn’t call, I—”
“What did your father say?”
“About what?” Rigo didn’t even give you a moment to catch your breath. Why couldn’t her father have lied? He could have protested that the Cross of Blood was entirely honorable and that he’d never done a wrong thing in his life. She’d have believed him.
But he wanted her to know he was guilty. Probably so he could count on her not to encourage Rigo’s investigation. His faith in her was impressive…and depressing.
“About Africa.”
“He said it was none of my business.” She wasn’t going to lie. “Which I suppose is true. He’s very sexist. He believes women, especially his daughter, should be seen and not heard.”
She hoped Rigo would take that as a reason and not press further.
Something glittered in Rigo’s eyes. Something like triumph. She wanted to hate him for trying to destroy her father, but he was in the right.
I hate them both. She tried to convince herself. “I’m not well.”
“Don’t worry about making excuses. I know you need to pack.”
She hadn’t even started packing. What was the point when she had no idea where to go? Maybe she’d wait until the bailiffs put all her stuff and her animals out on the streets of Casteleone.
“I came to help you.”
“What?” Shock almost made her fall off her feet. “Why?”
“Why not?”
“Uh, because you’re busy?”
“I’m also aware that you are far too proud and stubborn to ask anyone to help you.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
Indignation shot through her. “Me? You’re proud and stubborn.”
“True.”
She noticed for the first time that he wore dark jeans and a casual long-sleeved gray T-shirt, looking for once less like a lawyer or a prince and more like an ordinary mortal.
Not very much like one, though. With his daunting height, flashing dark eyes, and supercilious air, Rigo generally looked more like an archangel stalking the planet than a regular guy. “Where are your boxes?”
“I’m more of a stuff-things-into-bags girl.”
A half smile creased his face. “You would be.”
Ugh. Why was he being adorable? Her cats—who were getting along today—wound themselves around his legs, and he bent down to pet them. She preferred him when he was giving her orders or growling about something. And she needed to get rid of him so she could make plans.
“I really don’t feel good. I might get sick at any minute.” With everything going on right now she might be quite capable of barfing out of sheer nerves. “I really should lie down.”
“At least I don’t have to worry about you trying to kiss me.”
She felt her face heat. “Ha ha.”
“Because we’re not in public right now.”
“I swear I won’t kiss you if you just leave right now.”
“But what if I want you to kiss me?”
Bella blinked. Rigo eased closer, sparking an uncomfortable reaction inside her. He couldn’t be serious, could he?
Of course not, dummy!
He was playing with her. Getting revenge for her using him at the wedding. And she deserved it. “I don’t blame you for being mad. I’m not sure I ever actually said it to you, but I am sorry.” She hated the way her skin pricked with sensation whenever he came near.
“Sorry?” Amusement sparkled in his dark eyes. “I do hope not.” He drifted closer. “Not when you achieved your goal so successfully.”
“About that…I already decided that I’m not going to take the—” His mouth cut off her words, closing hotly over her mouth in one swift movement.
A shudder roamed through her as her mouth met his and her hands flew to his arms. Her body seemed to melt into his as rational thought drifted away. She couldn’t blame him. Every time she kissed him she had an ulterior motive: escaping a crazy ex…placating her father.… Except the time in the carriage—and now.
He held her closer, her breasts crushing against his chest, and kissed her until she could barely breathe. At last he lifted his head—he was taller than her—and left her open mouthed and gasping.
He leveled a cool gaze at her. “I believe that’s the first time I kissed you instead of the other way around.”
She blinked. Her whole body pulsed with awareness. Everything about Rigo aroused, intrigued, and excited her. Even though she knew he must hate her she couldn’t help the powerful attraction she felt in
his presence. “I like kissing you,” she confessed. “And being kissed by you.”
She could admit it. She was planning to leave her job anyway.
“I suppose that should be a relief.” He looked down on her from a great height. “That you take pleasure from kissing me instead of just taking advantage of me.”
His hand still rested at her waist, and she could feel the heat of it searing her skin through her thin T-shirt. She wanted to kiss him back. To hold him tighter.
“I didn’t mean to use you.”
“I was in the right place at the right time.” One dark brow lifted.
“Something like that.” His dark gaze pinned her. Could he see right through her? Did he know she was keeping secrets from him, protecting her dad?
Maybe he felt he could kiss them out of her.
Maybe he could. “You really should go.”
“Leave?” His chiseled features revealed no expression. “Because there’s no one here to watch us?”
“Because…this isn’t a good idea.” Her skin sizzled under his touch.
“I beg to differ.” He lifted a hand and pushed it gently into her hair. Which she hadn’t brushed yet today. She hadn’t even looked in the mirror. It was probably an unruly tangle. “I think it’s time we got to know each other more intimately. We have kissed four times now, after all.”
The airport. The carriage. The wedding…and now. The sensations and feelings inside her grew more intense each time. Her initial superficial attraction to Rigo had deepened as she’d learned more about him. Now admiration mingled with arousal in a dangerous cocktail that threatened to unhinge her.
She was catching feelings for him.
And that definitely wasn’t a good idea. “Four times too many. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying you’re sorry!” His voice boomed. Tintin started to bark. “For God’s sake shut up and kiss me.”
He didn’t lean forward and kiss her again. Instead, he leveled his steady gaze right at her and waited for the inevitable.… She angled her chin up, drew in a deep, bracing breath, and leaned up to press her lips to his.
She couldn’t help it. Even if it didn’t make any sense, the urge was irresistible. Maybe she was just responding to his royal command. Perhaps it was impossible to say no to Rigo, even if she knew the emotional fallout might leave her crying and shaking after he left.
Initiated by her, the kiss felt even more powerful. She did want to kiss Rigo…and she wanted more. Already her hands tugged at his shirt, her fingers clawing at the fabric and testing the hard muscle beneath.
His hands started to roam, stirring swirls of sensation. She pressed her body against his, wanting to eliminate the distance separating them, to move past the misunderstandings and confusion and the half-truths that kept them apart.
She’d been sent to him to find information. He’d employed her to squeeze information out of her. But right now there was nothing between them but hot skin, fevered breath, and unspent desire.
Her hands slid under his shirt and roamed over the warm bare skin of his chest. He caressed her breasts and backside, eventually reaching under her pajama T-shirt and touching her nipples. She gasped at the sensation.
It was all too much. Too much anxiety, too much fear, too much attraction. The emotions and sensations crashing inside her threatened to erupt into a grand explosion if they didn’t…if she didn’t…
Before she could stop herself she’d unbuttoned his jeans and reached inside them for the hard evidence of his desire. Rigo emitted a tight groan as she touched him. His arousal was every bit as intense as hers. Her frantic pulse, her fast breaths, the light sheen of sweat breaking out on her skin, echoed his.
He pulled off her top first. No bra. He didn’t hesitate to bend his head to suck her nipples gently but firmly, making her cry out at the intense sensation. Then he knelt to lower her pajama pants—no underwear—and pressed his face into her crotch.
The shock of his cool tongue on her clitoris made her shiver. She bucked against him and had to grab him to steady herself. Just when she thought her knees couldn’t hold her up a moment longer, Rigo rose up and swept kisses over her belly, her breasts, her neck, and finally her face.
So aroused she could barely function, Bella managed to pull his top up over his head and push his jeans down past his powerful thighs and strong calves. His shoes proved a sudden impediment that neither of them quite knew how to handle so he kicked them off impatiently and stepped out of his pants.
Now, completely naked in broad daylight in her apartment, Bella felt a sudden moment of panic. What was she doing? This was Rigo—her boss. Prince Rigo. This could not possibly end well.
But her thoughts dissolved as Rigo’s hot tongue plunged into her mouth and his fierce erection pressed into her belly. Through desire fogging her brain she barely heard his gruff question: “Where’s your bedroom?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Bella gestured with her chin. Her bedroom wasn’t ideal. Pepe’s cage was in there—with Pepe in it ready to watch them with his beady eyes.
Rigo slid his arms around her and moved her bodily into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. He didn’t seem to notice Pepe. Before she knew what was happening she lay on her back on her still-unmade bed, as Rigo climbed over her.
Then he stopped. “A condom. Dammit!”
She gulped. “I uh…I have some in the bathroom.” A souvenir from the ill-starred romance she was escaping when she accosted him at the airport. She hadn’t even been on a date since. “Let me get them.”
“Don’t move.” His commanding tone almost made her laugh. “I’ll find them.”
She wasn’t sure she wanted Rigo rifling through her bathroom cabinets, but you couldn’t really argue with someone who was royal, a prince, your boss, and totally naked—could you? He returned in what seemed like seconds, eagerly tearing into the wrapper.
His expression was intense, focused, as if he were chasing details of the most complex legal case, except that instead he was easing himself onto the bed and down over her waiting body.
She was so aroused that he slid inside her with ease. She shivered again, a tiny moan sliding out of her open mouth as their bellies pressed together. He kissed her neck and face softly, caressing her hair, moving inside her with exquisite tenderness.
It was hard to believe this was the same Rigo who struck terror into the hearts of rivals and…well, just about everyone. Under the forbidding chiseled exterior was a man of passion and tenderness. He moved inside her with assurance and power, stirring excitement in places where she didn’t know she had nerve endings, but also with sensitivity and gentleness.
As the rhythm between them quickened, she felt emotions welling inside her. Maybe it was the stress of the past few weeks, her uncertainty about the future or her surprise at the unexpected passion between them, but she found herself on the brink of losing control. She wasn’t sure whether she was going to laugh or cry or scream when she found herself swept away by the crashing wave of the biggest orgasm she’d ever experienced.
She felt the force of Rigo’s climax as he shuddered violently and emitted a rough groan, clutching her to him like she might slide out of his grasp in a stormy ocean.
It was some time—minutes maybe—before she recovered herself enough to have a semicoherent thought. She realized that her macaw was screaming blue murder. Also a phone was ringing in the living room. “Do shut up, Pepe!” Her voice was breathless, cracking.
“A witness,” said Rigo, casting a doubtful glance at the bird. “Will we have to bribe him?”
Bella laughed. “That won’t help. He’ll scream your business to anyone if they have a few pistachio nuts.”
“I suppose that would serve me right.” Rigo’s hair was tousled, a few strands stuck to his hot forehead, and his eyes dark with passion. “I didn’t come over here to seduce you.”
“Why did you come here? To give me a tardy notice?” She couldn’t help teasin
g.
“To help you pack.”
“You could have sent a staff member.”
“True.” He looked thoughtful. The phone started ringing again.
“That’s not my phone,” she murmured. She didn’t want him to get up. She had a feeling that everything would change the moment their bodies peeled apart and the fog of shared passion lifted.
“It’s mine.” He groaned. “I suppose I should see who it is.”
He eased off her carefully, stopping for a leisurely kiss on the way, then padded into the living room naked and barefoot. Bella stared after him from the bed, still in shock and unable to imagine lifting her head from the pillow.
“Perfect.” She could hear Rigo’s voice loud and clear from the other room.
He appeared in the doorway a moment later, tugging on his clothes. “I’m going to visit Francine Petrie the day after tomorrow.”
His father’s mistress.
He zipped up his jeans. “I have a feeling that she’s a key to the murders.”
Bella felt herself shrink back into the bedding. What did this woman know? Would the mysterious Francine be the key to putting her father behind bars?
“Don’t worry about coming into work. I know you need to pack.”
“I—” She couldn’t move into his house and she needed to tell him but how? She’d better get somewhere else lined up first. She could spend the afternoon making phone calls.
She could hardly foist herself and all of her animals on a friend. Her single friends all had big jobs in London or Zurich or Paris. Her married friends had children and husbands to worry about.
Maybe she could find an empty farm cottage that needed renovation and do work on it in exchange for living there. She could set up an online fundraiser to raise money to feed the animals and pay their vet bills. An Internet marketer she’d met in New York had encouraged her to do that and to contact him with help making it effective.
“Thanks. I’ll be in tomorrow, I promise.” For now she wanted to keep her paycheck coming. All things considered it was a pretty good one. “And I won’t tell anyone about…what happened.”
Taming the Royal Beast (Royal House of Leone Book 6) Page 12
